Garbage disposal apparatus



Feb. 26, 1957 E. R. WOLFF GARBAGE DISPOSAL APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2Filed March 18, 1953 INVENTOR. 27/1752 Z. l VaZf/F arraWA E'K Feb. 26,1957 E. R. WOLFF 2,782,997

GARBAGE DISPOSAL APPARATUS Filed March 18, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 IINVENTOR.

27/152 77 hZ/z Y J 27/2 [/4 ia z a 05 Z/Z 31% Z? 2,782,997 GARBAGEDISPOSAL APPARATUS Ernst R. Wolif, Bloomington, IlL, assignor, by mesneassignments, to National Rubber Machinery Company, Akron, Ohio, acorporation of Ohio Application March 18, 1953, Serial No. 343,044 1Claim. (Cl. 241--46) This invention relates to garbage disposalapparatus in general and has particular reference to a novelconstruction of such a device to reduce the over-all height thereof andto simplify the construction thereof.

According to this invention there are provided a novel grindingmechanism and driving means therefor, comprising essentially a rotarygrinding device arranged in the bottom of a material reducing chamber, arotor of an electric motor carried by the rotary grinding device, thestator of the electric motor arranged in operative relation to therotor, and a non-magnetic diaphragm States Patent forming the bottomwall of the chamber arranged between the rotor andstator and separatingthe stator from the grinding chamber.

Heretofore garbage disposal units have been provided with a conventionaltype of motor suspended beneath the housing containing the grindingmechanism and including a driven shaft projecting upwardly into thegrinding chamber and having the grinding mechanism secured thereto forrotation within the chamber. With the arrangement contemplated by thisinvention it is possible to reduce the over-all height of the unit to aconsiderable extent, and at the same time the construction and assemblythereof are greatly simplified. The present invention also eliminatesthe need for the usual rotary seal provided in conventional unitsbetween the driven shaft and the bottom wall of the grinding chamber.The invention also contemplates a new and improved mounting arrangementfor suspending the unit from the bottom wall of a sink or the like.

A principal object of the invention, therefore, is to provide a new andimproved garbage disposal apparatus.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved drivingmeans for the grinding mechanism of a garbage disposal unit.

Another object of the invention is to provide a gar bage disposalapparatus of substantially reduced height as compared with similardevices now in use. p A further object of the invention is to provide anew and improved mounting arrangement for securing an apparatus of thetype described with its upper end in communication with the drain outletof a sink or the like.

Other and further objects of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description and claims and may be understood by reference tothe accompanying drawings, of which there are three sheets, which by wayof illustration show preferred embodiments of the invention and what Inow consider to be the best mode in which I have contemplated applyingthe principles of my invention. Other embodiments of the invention maybe used without departing from the scope of the present invention as setforth in the appended claim.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a garbage disposal apparatustaken substantially along line 1-1 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus disclosed in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially along line 3-3of Fig. 1; r

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

2,782,997 I Patented Feb. 26, 1957 Fig. 5 is a perspective view of acylindrical collar forming a part of the mounting arrangement of theapparatus;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a mounting ring also forming a part ofthe mounting structure;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of a modified form of rotary grinding device androtor; and Fig. 8 is a sectional view Fig. 7.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral 10 indicates a casingsubstantially cylindrical in horizontal cross section and defining areducing chamber 12 open at its upper end and formed to provide adischarge outlet 14 at its lower end and adapted to be connected by aconduit 16 to a conventional drainage system. The casing 10 is adaptedto be suspended from the bottom wall 18 of a sink or the like with itsopen upper end in communication with the drain outlet from the sink soas to receive material to be reduced into the grinding chamber 12 wheresuch material is acted upon by taken along line 8-8 of a rotary grindingdevice indicated generally at 20 which cooperates with a shredder ring22 arranged adjacent the bottom of and forming part of the interior ofthe chamber 12 to reduce material fed into the chamber and to dischargethe same through an annular passage between the grinding device 20 andshredder ring 22 into discharge outlet 14.

A cylindrical collar 24 having a flange 26 is secured to the bottom wall18 of the sink by means of a nut 28 threaded on to the exteriorlythreaded neck portion of collar 24. Gasket material 38 may be arrangedbetween the bottom Wall of the sink and the nut 28 so as to provide aseal therebetween. The upper end of the casing 10 has an inwardlydirected lip 32 against which is seated a rim 34. A ring 36 of gasketmaterial is arranged inwardly of rim 34 and surrounds a mounting ring 38having a lower lateral flange 40 dis-' posed below the lip 32 and anupper flange 42.

As will be seen more clearly in Fig. 6, the mounting ring 38 is providedwith a plurality of slots 44 in the flange 42 thereof and a plurality ofraised seats 46 adjacent the slots 44. The lower end 48 of the collar 24is cylindrical and provided with a plurality of lateral projections 50which are adapted to be aligned with slots 44. during assembly of theunit. A clamping ring 52 is threaded on to the collar 24 and duringassembly of the unit may be threaded upwardly on to the collar 24 towardnut 28 to permit casing 10 and mounting ring 38, with gasket 36 and rim34 therebetween, to be lifted upwardly with the slots 44 aligned withprojections 50 until the flange 42 of mounting ring 38 is aboveprojections 50', and the mounting ring may then be rotated until seats46 seat against projections 50 on collar 24, the foregoing constructionconsisting of a bayonet connection between the mounting ring 38 andcollar 24. The clamping ring 52 is then tightened against gasket 36 toprovide a seal between the clamping ring and the casing, and such ringalso clamps the mounting ring 38 to collar 24 to complete the assembly.The gasket 36 also provides a resilient connection between the casing 10and the mounting ring so as to absorb vibrations and provide more silentoperation of the unit.

A closure 54 having an imperforate top wall 56 and a handle 58 may bearranged within the collar 24 in such manner as to seal the drain outletof the sink from the interior'of the casing 10, or the closure may bemanipulated so as to provide a communication between the drain outletand the interior of the casing for the passage of water into thegrinding chamber 12 during operation of the grinding mechanism, theclosure being rotatable when in the last-named position into an angularposition wherein one of the cam portions 60 at the lower 3. end thereofwill engage the end of a switch actuating plunger 62 which 18 slidablydisposed in a vertical wall of the casing and biased toward itsinnermost position relative to the casing by a spring 64. A switch 66 ofthe normally open type is adapted to be closed by movement of plunger 62against the force of spring 64 whenever the cover 54 is manipulated sothat one of the cam portions 60 thereof engages the plunger aspreviously described.

The Switch 66 is located within a switch housing 67 and is arranged inthe circuit of an electric motor indicated generally at 70 adapted todrive the rotary grinding mechanism 20 and to be more particularlydescribed hereinafter.

The closure 54 is provided with a beveled edge 55 adapted to seatagainst a beveled seat 57 formed on the interior of collar 24 forsealing the outlet from the sink in certain angular positions of theclosure 54. The closure is provided with arcuate projections 59 adaptedto seat on arcuate seats 61 formed at the lower end of collar 24whenever the closure is rotated into other angular positions thereof.The closure is raised into the elevated posi tion shown. in Fig. 1whenever it is desired to provide for the flow of water from the sinkinto the reducing chamber to aid in the grindingoperation, and wheneverit is desired to provide for such flow of water without the grindingmechanism being operated. The arrangement of the cam portions andplunger 62 is such that the cams cannot engage the plunger to closeswitch 66 except when the closure is maintained in its elevated positionshown by means of projections 59 and seats 61, thus insuring that watercan be supplied to the chamber 12 whenever the grinder is operated.

The lower end of casing 10 is provided with a flange 72 adapted to bebolted against a flange 74 provided on a stator housing 76 by bolts 78.A thin, nonmagnetic diaphragm 80 is clamped between casing 10 .andstator housing 76 and forms the bottom wall of the reducing chamber 12.A stationary shaft 82 is secured within a boss 88 on housing 76 by a nut90. The shaft 82 projects upwardly through the diaphragm 80 which isclamped between a pair of washers 92 on opposite sides of the openingtherein, which washers are in turn clamped against the upper end of theboss 88 and against a shoulder 94 provided on shaft 82.

The upper end 96 of the shaft 82 is surrounded by a suitable bearing 98and the hub 100 of a rotary disk 102 is mounted on hearing 98 and seatedagainst the shoulder 94 of shaft 82. A washer 104 seats against theupper ends of hub 100, bearing 98, and shaft .82 and is securedthereagainst by a bolt 106.

The bottom surface of the disk 102 is arranged immediately above theupper surface of diaphragm 80 and the disk is provided with a pluralityof recesses or sockets 108 opening into the bottom surface of the disk.The walls of the disk defining sockets 108 are connected to the centralhub 100 of the disk by webs 110. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 thereare four of such sockets 108, and permanent magnetic members 112 arearranged within the sockets 108 with insulating material 114 surroundingthe magnetic members 112. The magnetic members 112 form the rotor of theelectric motor 70.

The stator of the motor comprises a laminated core 116 provided withfield windings 118 arranged immediately below the diaphragm and oppositethe magnetic members 112. Electric current is supplied to the stator bysuitable power leads, not shown, and energization thereof createsmagnetic lines of force which pass through the diaphragm 80 and induce aturning moment in the rotor.

The rotary disk 102 has a plurality of impellers 120 mounted thereonwithin bosses 122 depending from the upper surface of the disk andjoined to the central hub by webs 124. The impellers are rotatablerelative to the disk 102 about vertical axes and are provided withcurved ends 126 which are adapted to cooperate with cutting teeth 128formed by a plurality of vertically extending grooves 130 formed on theinterior of shredder ring 22 at the lower end thereof. The periphery ofdisk 102 is also arranged in close proximity to the inner peripheralwall of shredder ring 22, and material acted upon by the grindingmechanism is discharged through grooves 130 into the discharge outlet14. The impellers 120 are provided with upstanding agitators 132 whichare arranged opposite inwardly projecting cutting teeth 134 also formedon the shredder ring 22. In operation of the unit, material fed intochamber 12 is impelled against cutting teeth 134 and teeth .128 bycentrifugal force resulting from rotation of disk 102 and impellers 120,until the material is broken up into particles fine enough to passthrough the grooves 130 into the discharge outlet 14.

In the embodiment of the invention disclosed in Figs. 7 and 8, therotary disk 202 is provided with a central hub 204 having a bearing 206secured therein and adapted to rotate with the disk 202 about the upperend 96 of shaft 82. In this modification the impellers 220 are formedintegrally with the disk 202 and may comprise relatively narrow ribsprojecting from the upper surface of the disk. The rotor employed in.this modification may consist of a steel core 208 in the shape of a ringand arranged within an annular recess 210 formed on the under side ofthe disk 202. Copper winding 212 is employed in conjunction with thecore 208, and this rotor comprises an induction type rotor in which aturning moment will be induced when the stator is energized. It isapparent that forms of rotors other than those disclosed herein could bedevised without departing from the principles of the invention.

While I have illustrated and described preferred embodiments of myinvention, it is understood that these are capable of modification and Itherefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details set forth butdesire to avail myself of such changes and alterations as fall withinthe purview of the following claim.

I claim:

Garbage disposal apparatus comprising a casing defining a reducingchamber with a feed opening at the upper end thereof, a nonmagneticdiaphragm extending across and defining the bottom of said chamber, saidchamber being provided with an outlet for reduced material at the bottomthereof, a shaft projecting upwardly from said diaphragm into saidchamber, a circular disk journaled on said shaft for rotation in thebottom of said chamber immediately above said diaphragm and adapted toimpel material to be reduced against the side wall of said chamber, arotor of an electric motor housed within said disk and having one facedisposed immediately above and exposed to said diaphragm, a stator of anelectric motor disposed below and immediately adjacent said diaphragmand in operative relation with said rotor, said diaphragm separatingsaid stator from said chamber, and cooperating elements on said disk andcasing for reducing material in said chamber upon rotation of said disk,the periphery of said disk being arranged in closely spaced relationwith the side wall of said chamber so as to define a narrow annularopening therebetween through wh ch reduced material may pass downwardlyfor discharge through said outlet.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS245,196 Meyer Aug. 2. 1881 692,795 Moyle 1. Feb. 4, 1902 1,420,773Stainbrook June 27, 1922 2,421,014 Cass et a1. May 27, 1947 2,477,686Coss et al. Aug. 2, i949 FOREIGN PATENTS 622,115 Great Britain Apr. 27,1949

